Escape Studios
 

I just thought i'de let you all know that I have started the Maya Comprehensive course at Escape Studios in London. This is my 4th lession today and I have to say it is well worth the moeny.

So you be glad to hear that my n00bish questions should stop and sooner or later I should have a decient demo reel.

Oh, one last thing. I am being taught by an American called Michael Ingrassia. Don't know if any of you know him or have heard of him but he seams to know his stuff :D

I will also show you guys some of the stuff I am doing just incase any people out there are thinking of doing the same course.

Wish me luck.

_LIVID

Oooo ooo , i have just applied for the info pack to go here, but am still trying to work out how i'm going to save up 8k to get on the course. I would really love to hear more about it m8 as like i say, its a real investment so i want to know its well worth the money. !!

Well by the end of the 3rd day I had made what you see below. This took a couple of hours.

Day 1 -- Modelling an Apple with a leaf and stalk

Day 2 -- Modelling dancing Pumpkin using a latice to add squash and stretch

Day 3 -- Finish Pumpkin and Table

Day 4 (Today) -- Modeling arm and rigging joints

We have been working really hard but no-one seams to mind cos we all enjoying it so much :D

I will keep you updated as I get further in the course, but from what I can see at the moment it seams well worth the moeny.

_LIVID

it takes a day to learn to model an apple :) lol!

how long is the course? 8k seems very expensive to me! that's a lot of SM video tutes!! ;)

hmmm ... pure ...
- video tuts or "live tuts/trainings" might be a big difference ...
- please dont get me wrong, as far as i can tell the sm tuts
are magnificent!!
- also if i understand correctly, the 7500€ course is 10 weeks?
that might cause a boost i imagine, 10 weeks of instensive training ...

anyhows, just my 2 cents

like to hear more opinions though

tim enjoy the course, i am sure you will learn a lot

cheers

luke

dont worry no offence taken, I think escape is far too expensive. That's 750€ a week!! I went to bournmouth last year got one year's experience (and a job at the end of it!! :D) for £2500 go figure, I know there are extra costs in living somewhere for a year but I got a much rounder eductaion and a masters degree at the end of it. Have 10 weeks intensive maya is all well and good but unless you undertake a big project and do lots of problem solving and really figure it out a bit then I dont see that it's worth it.... if I had to hire a td (for example) and I had someone with 10 weeks intensive knowledge of maya or someone with 1 year's knowledge and a master's degree (not taking showreel into account but i would imagine the master's one would be better due to the amount of time available) i know who I would pick.

However in saying that this industry doesnt care what qualifications you've got as long as you can do the job...

in saying all this though I'm sure the escape teaching is first class

:ninja:
Alan

Hey there pure_morning.....I went to Bournemouth too. I did the BA tho. I'm with you on the Escape programme. The course I did at Uni didn't cost that much, and I got 3 years of learning Maya, plus other cg packages.

If you don't want to go to Uni tho, you need other options. Just trying to learn Maya off your own back I imagine to be very difficult from scratch - but there are some excellent tuts on this site!! I've learned sooo much just from here, and the help that all the wonderful people who use this site have given me. :D

At the end of the day, its your reel that will get you noticed, so keep up the good work Tim_LIVID, looking forward to seeing some more of your stuff on the site. Good luck :p

p.s: keep up the good work on the site guys, lovin' it more every day!

Theses are all valid arguments, Escape might not be right for everyone but I decided I didn't want to spend years at University.

I don't have a problem about the money because I could have easly spent that much on a car for example where as here im spending it on someting that will (hopefully) change my life for the better and ensure I never have to work in a shop again.

When I do something else worthy of posting I will.

_LIVID

I was looking into it and recieved the info pack the other day, but decided that although i don't doubt the course is good i'd rather go to uni and get a degree.

I would really love to do this course but i just cant afford it really, a) 8k and thats in £ as far as i know means i would have to take a loan of at least 4k

hey LIVID what u do coz i get paid quite well and i cant just blow 8k, u get it all urself ?

and b) i would have to give up my job to go there, which means i cant start paying it back till i get another one.

i personally would much rather do this than 3 years in uni(only m op tho) as ive been to open days etc and saw that i would be learning other stuff i really wasnt interested in and felt it just wasnt for me.

but ahh well :( maybe i could go on one of the lesser courses :bored:

That's how I felt, I would much rather spend 10-11 weeks doing pure stuff I want to do rather than spend 3 years and maybe only touch on things I want to do.

I had help from my parents, one thing you could look into is a caree development loan. As I understand you don't start paying it back untill you start earning.

The price I am paying is 7,499 pounds and see how much I have already learn and done in under a week I can see how I can get soo much out of it in 10-11 weeks.

It is something you have to think carefully about thought, as I ahve said it is only moeny in the end and if it helps you progress to a better caree then it must surely be worth it.

_LIVID

P.S. Have you had the chance to vist the studio yet?

Yeah i totally agree with you there.

hmm i shall have to look into that, thanks for that info LIVID.

Yeahh i think i could get together half from saving and maybe some help.

i also agree that money is just that at the end of the day, and i have always had that view too.

but the only thing i'm a bit concerend about is running up a debt that i'm going to strugle to pay in the future (i dont mind not having luxuries etc but i dont want to have to scrape a living for a few years and the experiance not help me at all) but i suppose thats the risk i'll probly have to take :D

if it did push my carreer to a new level then it most definatly worth it no questions asked :)

no i havnt yet, i really want to do that but i live in the sticks in wales so i just need to find a good time to get my ass down there an get chatting to the tutors etc

really helpfull having feedback from you though man, gives me a little insight

These are all things that I thought over before going on the course, you just have to listen to all the points and make up your mind.

If you do get the chance to get up to the Studio then E-Mail me, chances are i'll be up there when you vist.

Tim_LIVID@yahoo.co.uk


_LIVID

Yeahh that'd be good m8, could grab a drink an have a chat with you to see what ya lernt and whats the heads up so far. cheers man

much appreciated

I submit: What of the individual artisan, who, with monotonous regularity, does lots of problem solving and has to really figure it out? The artisan with an intimate understanding born of experience? Pity you cannot imagine which would be better due to the quality of time invested. While I applaud the benefits of "University" and Industry Specific educations, I for one believe you might be in for a few surprises in your lifetime from self taught artisans.

Congratulations, Tim Livid. I am one of the self taught artisans out here. I am transitioning from 2D to 3D. I know this industry to judge on ability and talent, not necessarily on degree or institution attended. You cannot go wrong with the course you have chosen. Good luck to you.

t3

I started of as being self taught and found it too fustrating in the end and knew I had to do something about it.

In that respect I am quite lucky that this industrie focuses more on the showreel than an actual qualifcation as such.

The studio even has it's own forum where they help past students and post information about jobs etc.

_LIVID

Those of you who did Masters at Bournemouth, I was just wondering what you did at undergraduate?

I go to bournemouth and do computer science BSc but I want to do animation as a masters.

i did computer science at brighton uni and then I did the masters at bournemouth.

You can say that the qualification doesnt matter but I know first hand that it does. I got hired based on my undergraduate degree in computer science as well as my masters. I'm not an animator anything relaly artistic which goes a way to explain it but even so degrees == good things to have :D

Alan

hi tim-,

good luck with the cse, what are the digs like down there and how much?

cheers dude.

Why do so many people seem to dislike/think degrees are useless??? Thats the impression I'm getting anyway, apologies for any offence.

I'm proud of my degree, and I worked hard for it and got a great job out of it at MPC. I got my job based just on the fact that I graduated from the NCCA - the standard of work from there is always so high, they know that the people they hire will produce good stuff.

Although, if the course at Escape Studios was cheap, everyone would be doing it! I'm sure its worth the money, I had a look at it out of interest and it seems pretty cool.

I mean no disrespect to those that have followed the tried and true path of higher education. I merely point out that those of us not so fortunate as to benefit from that education, should not be so easily dismissed as less worthy because we did not attend "uni".

I posses other than industry related degrees, and do not denigrate those who have chosen other paths to their respective goals.

I started in the industry prior to the advent of digital, 3d or flash or . . . and had not the benefit of scholastic courses. We learned by trial and error and pushing the envelope to create our vision. The computerization of the industry was a boon. Those of us with work experience prior to when most of you were born lack your degrees, but our talent and abilities persist. In my work experience I have had the misfortune to meet and work with a growing number of credentialed/educated team members who possed the degree, the knowledge to acquire that degree, and have absolutely no "work related" common sense. Fresh out of school, degrees in hand, full of vim and vigor, and not a clue.

All I am saying is - the knowledge/ability/training, however acquired is great. What the possessor of said training does with that training is proof of the pudding. And I may be way off here, but I believe that if I chose to return to the work environment tomorrow, I could easily compete and find a house willing to embrace me and my lack of university training, based solely on my portfolio, and work experience.

t3

This has turned into quite a groovy little debate!

Thats what makes this website so good, so many different people from all walks of life, but who love the industry...or just making cool stuff for the fun of it! Who cares where we all got our skills from, we are all skilled, and lets keep on using them as well as we have been!

:D

I agree, I have no dislike of degree's and think that University education is very sound and efficent.

I just feel that I don't have the time to commit 2-3 years of my life to a University course. I needed to be plunged into the deep end so to speak and have greatly improved in my first week because of being taught by industry professionals (my tutor at the moment has over 10 years experience).

Another plus of Escape Studios is that they rotate tutors, so we can have an expert at animation, an expert at NURBS modelling, an expert at texturing (which is what we have at the moment) and an expert at lighting and rendering ect. This ensures that we can benifit from their own strengths and get the best education possible. As far as I know this doesn't happen in a University.

_LIVID

Like Tim_LIVID I have recently started the Maya Comprehensive Course at Escape Studios (actually he sits next to me). Unlike Tim - who is a mere child at the age of 20 - I have a first class degree in environmental engineering and have worked as a design engineer for the last seven years on projects all over the world.

I feel I'm far too old and fuzzy to spend several years on an animation degree course during which most of my time would be spent sleeping, drinking, playing computer games and watching daytime TV whilst munching sugar-puff sandwiches and smoking funny cigarettes all day (well, that's what happened first time round anyway!).

To echo earlier voices, Escape Studios is an excellent alternative for those who want to focus their 3D skills in Maya quickly and without the pain of prolonged studenthood. It's not the right choice for everyone, but it does offer a first class education in exactly 'what-you-need-to-know' taught by world-class industry professionals. I'm blown away by how much our tutor (Michael Ingrassia - Director of Digital World FX & man behind the Shortfilmmakers Alliance ) has crammed into our heads in just a week. It's amazing to watch a master at work.


I'm just annoyed that Tim_LIVID's apple was so much better than mine. grrrrr

If either of you could shove some of your work on disk or memorystick or something like that so you could take it home and post it here i'd appreicate it, as i'd like to see what your producing.

I suspect we are all going to witness amazing creativity in this group.

t3

What’s the likelihood of getting a job in the industry after only 10 weeks training? I’m not saying it impossible and I’m sure the education at Escape is excellent, but no matter how good the teaching is, going from beginner to production level artist in 10 weeks seems like a stretch. Some people spend ages job-hunting after training for 3 years on a degree.

I personally would rather go for a degree as a) 10 weeks seems like a rush to get ‘qualified’ - I would rather spend time learning a variety of subjects (CGI; modeling; animation; storyboarding; concept des; illustration; graphics etc) to know what I truly want to specialize in and b) I’m only 19 and don’t wanna join the ‘working world’ just yet. I’m happy being a student for a while.

No but it gives you a good headstart as that ten weeks is probably the same as doing 6 months self learning and that then gives to 2.5 years to improve your skills and find a job before the people at uni finish the course.

You don't get a job on "qualifications." Qualifying gets you car insurance... not a graphics job. ;) Its all about the quality, if you ask me. The better you are, the better your chances at getting a job.

I mean 'qualified' as in 'ability and skill' :)

Never mind.

t3

Nothing is more valuable then having industry professionals willing to answer all your questions and critiquing your work, so if you can afford it, do it!

But my opinion is that these 10 week crunch courses are most valuable to those who already have strong artistic talent who needs to learn to apply it. Good luck to those attending...I wish I was there...but I'm here so I have to learn on my own.

Another important point that I feel I should raise is that I personally didn't sign up to the Maya Comprehensive course (which is, I admit, fabulously expensive) with a view to pursuing a career in the 3D industry afterwards. As a hobbyist I'm far more interested in the art of short film production and enjoy the flexibility that 3D gives me to do exactly what I want whilst working on my own and in my own time. So for me this is about learning the fundamental skills that I need to create these moving images.

Other people on the course come from different directions. One chap is head of his own advertising firm and wants to learn Maya simply so he knows what he can expect from his staff who use the tool. Another chap is an aeronautical engineer and sees Maya as useful visualisation tool within his own industry.

Some people do join the Escape course with dreams of Pixar and a guaranteed job afterwards. Some people are successful, some are not. As T3logy and MtMckinley have pointed out, success will ultimately be determined by the hard work and talent of the individual.

Let me first start by welcoming Marwood to SimplyMaya, glad you could join us :D

I have to agree, having a qualification is all well and good but for someone like me who is looking for a way into the industry I am interested in intensive training so by the end of the course I can have a portfolio of work that will attract employers. I understand that this sort of approach won't work with all types of industry but one that is based (amongst other things) on creativity then this is ideal.

_LIVID

I'de just thought I would show you where im at now. I started making this camper ages ago but with a little help from the tutors here at Escape I finally managed to move it on. It's not finished yet as the driver and passanger seats have to be textured and it needs a stearing wheel.

I intend to have showroom with about 5 differnt campers all with slightly different designs and textures.

One last thing, this texture is for my girlfirnd which explains the excess of pink and fairys. :D

And from another angle .....

_LIVID

Pretty cool, man. :) Although I don't dig the color, but that's ok.

Does Escape focus mostly on high-res stuff (movies, tv, etc) or are there game courses as well? Or do they just go over info and you apply it like you want. Just curious.

cool van !!
i dig the color, lucy in the sky with diamonds

Cheers, I am planning of making a fleet of 5.

I have also done a few extra bits on them (adding the VW sign ect)

In the end there will be ...

1) The pink girly one
2) The Red and White classic design
3) Black 'Hot Rod' Style
4) A white flower-power surfer van
5) The Happy Hippy psycedelicious fractal design

They will all have different insides like fridges, beds, roof racks with case .... im not sure why cos the camera probably won't see them but I ... well im not sure why actually, I just will. :D

Any coments would be greatly recieved as this is the 1st time I have posted any of my work.

_LIVID

To answer Mike, Escape from what I can see is doing a fair bit of both. The first tutor we had came from a games background so he focused of low poly-high effect models and tricks to get a good visual effect and using planes etc.

It really depends on what the students are aiming to do after the course, but at the moment it's still quite low poly. Still, it's only week 2 so it could all change in time.

One thing you might like, on the colleges Intranet (our internal network) they have your site as a usefull tutorials link. I was like 'hey I know him, I chat to him on this forum!'

Just incase you needed an ego boost. :D

_LIVID